Buckle



J. THOMAS BUCKLE.

No. 273,637. Patented Mar. 6,1883.

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UNITED STATES JOHN THGMAS, OF CEDAR ItAPlDS, IONA.

BUCKLE-Z.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 273,637, dated March 6, 1683.

Application filed January 15, 1883. (No model.) I

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN THOMAS, of Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented a new Improvement in Buckles; and Ido hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, 10-

Figure 1,a face view; Fig. 2, a face view of the frame, the tongue-slide removed; Fig.3, a perspective view of the tongue-slide detached; Fig. 4, a longitudinal section, showing the attachinent.

This invention relates to an improvement in trace-buckles, and is an improvement upon the invention for which Letters Patent were granted to me April 4, 1882, No. 256,075. In that patent the buckle-frame is curved upward at one end,so as to form a loop through which the trace will pass to he engaged, the other end fitted for attachment to the tug, and across the frame is a tongue-slide,the slide extending over both sides of the frame, one bar of the slide on one side of the frame and the other on the opposite side, the one upon the back side forward of the bar upon the outside, the outside bar provided with a tongue to engage the trace, and so that the tongue-slide may be turned over forward to take the stud or tongue out of the way for the adjustment of the trace.

The object of my present invention is to employ substantially the same slide upon a tracebuckle and conceal the slide inside the trace, and construct the buckle-frame for the attachment of the saddle and belly straps; and it consists in the construction as hereinafter described, and more particularly recited in the claims.

The frame of the buckle is composed of two sides, A A, and two end bars, B O, the sides A and bar B arranged to stand upon the inner or back side of the trace. The bar B is fitted for the attachment of the tug, as shown in Fig. 4. At the rear or opposite end the sides are turned upward, so as to bring the bar 0 outside the trace, as seen in Fig. 4, and substantially as in my previous patent. The two sides A A are curved outward, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2,

and to these, respectively, the saddle and belly straps are attached.

Between the two sides, and near the bar 0, a connection, D, is made across, of U shape, the ends of the U being attached to the sides near the bar (I, the bend extendingforward toward the bar B, and substantiallyin the plane of the'sides, and so that the opening E is toward the bar 0. This U shape forms an auxiliary frame, as it were, upon which the tongue slide is arranged. The tongue-slide is seen detached in perspective, Fig. 3, and is composed of two sides, a a, the distance between the sides being substantiallyequal to the U-shaped part D. The two sides are connected by a bar, I), which carries the stud-like tongue (I. The inner bar, 0, stands forward of the bar B, as shown; butinstead ofextending entirely across the slide it is divided, its two ends ff turned inward, as seen in Fig. 3. The slide thus constructed is placed upon the U-shaped part 1), as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the two ends ff turned up near their respective sides of the opening in the U-shaped part, as seen in Fig. 1, each acting against its own side as a guide to retain and hold the slide in place, and so that the tongue-slide may be turned forward on the part D, as seen in broken lines in Fig. 4, and substantially as in my previous patent. This inner bar, e, as in my previous patent, may be constructed to extend entirely across, and with a single tongue turned up into the opening E, or the tongue or tonguesf may be dispensed with; but I prefer that the loop shall have a tongue to be turned up into the opening E, as seen in Fig. 4. By this construction the tongue-slide is entirely concealed, the bar only being left exposed, and so much of the sides as stand in front and rear of the back and belly straps.

I do not claim, broadly, a buckle provided with a slide having a stationary tongue arranged to enter the trace or strap and be drawn toward the stationary bar of the frame, as such I am aware is not new; but

WVhat I do claim is 1. The herein-described buckle, consisting of the frame composed of the tug-bar B, the two sides A A, the said two sides turning outward and connected by the bar 0, to be outside the trace, and a connection, D, between the two sides, near the bar 0, and extending forward, combined with the ton gue-slideaab 0, arranged upon the extended part of said connection, between the two sides, the one bar I) of the slide on the outside and'the other bar, 6, on the inside of said extension, the outer bar, b, provided with the tongue 01, substantially as described.

2. A buckle-frame consisting of the tug-bar B, the two sides A A, the said sides turning outward and connected by the bar G, to be outside the trace, and the U-shaped connection between the two sides, near the bar 0, the opening of the U toward said bar 0-, combined with the 

